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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23090425">the prince and the peasant (KaneHide)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiidee/pseuds/hiidee'>hiidee</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Tokyo Ghoul</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Blushing Kaneki Ken, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, He wants to see life on the other side, Hide is such a good boy ugh I love him so much, I lowkey want to make more with this AU, Im not sure if this is going to be the intro to another fic or???, Kaneki is a prince, Kaneki is such a baby please help, Kaneki needs to get his crown ASAP!, Kuroneki | Black-haired Kaneki Ken, M/M, Nagachika Hideyoshi Is a Dork, Nagachika Hideyoshi might've just triggered a coup d'etat, Protective Nagachika Hideyoshi, Rize stop being mean!, Touka and Yoriko are gay and distracted, its better than it sounds trust me</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:07:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,071</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23090425</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiidee/pseuds/hiidee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Being born into the a family of royals is not always as it seems. Kaneki Ken, Prince and Heir to the thrown in the Kingdom of Anteiku had always had it kind of rough. At the age of 17 he has made no friends, and is strictly forbidden to even leave the castle if its not a major event. Tired of being confined to the ways of the royal lifestyle, Kaneki sneaks out to explore the nearest town on his own. He meets Hide, a young boy his age and one of the many villagers in the town. During this short exploration Kaneki learns about friendship, the truth about his family, and the new feeling of love.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kaneki Ken | Sasaki Haise &amp; Kirishima Touka, Kaneki Ken | Sasaki Haise/Nagachika Hideyoshi, Kirishima Touka/Kosaka Yoriko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the prince and the peasant (KaneHide)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>UGH, long time no posting! This story is one of my old WIPS that I finally came around to finishing, which I am very proud of. KaneHide is still strong coming in March, and I have a few other WIPS that I plan on finishing and posting by the end of the month, including bigger project that I am currently planning for. Anyways, enjoy this story! Also I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, please don't kill me.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Silver eyes filled with curiosity looked out of the large window of the castle. </p>
<p>The eyes searched along the dirt roads, the many different shops line to line.</p>
<p>Pale hands reached upwards and ran through sleek midnight hair, before dusting the beautiful pearl white nightgown that was made from the finest silk in the Kingdom.</p>
<p>The body turned around swiftly, letting out a small gasp of surprise as the room door opened. The face was familiar, and it spoke a soft yet assertive tone.</p>
<p>“I knew you’d still be up, idiot.”</p>
<p>The silver eyed boy- Prince Kaneki Ken of the Anteiku Kingdom, turned and looked at the familiar face, a soft smile laying across his face now.</p>
<p>“Touka! Funny seeing you here this fine night-” he began, before he was cut off with the door closing all the way and the nostalgic female speaking over him.</p>
<p>The woman- Dame Kirishima Touka of the Royal Guard, also the prince’s personal bodyguard. Her short dark curls bounced with every step she took, until she got directly next to the prince.</p>
<p>“Funny indeed, it’s way past your bedtime you know. Thinking outside the box again?” She asked rather bluntly, and not how most people would think the Royal Guard would be talking to a person of high authority, such as the prince himself.</p>
<p>Kaneki gave a deep exasperated sigh of defeat before turning to her, then facing the window again.</p>
<p>“Aren’t I always?”</p>
<p>The girl of the two nodded in response, not even saying a word about this anymore.</p>
<p>It wasn’t obvious to anyone but her that the prince was getting older, wanting to go outside of the damned castle and mingle with other people his age. But with Queen Kamishiro Rize’s order, that was strictly forbidden to the young king in training.</p>
<p>Touka indeed felt bad for her prince and friend, understanding his wanting to try and come out of his shell. It was true that Kaneki was rather lonely, only allowed to talk to and associate himself with other royals. Such as the scumbag of a prince, Tsukiyama Shuu, from one of the many kingdoms close to Anteiku. </p>
<p>The Dame turned and looked at the prince, who simply stood and stared at the many people on the roads, the people that others like the queen considered lower then himself.</p>
<p>“I think it’s time for you to go to bed yeah? You have training with Uta tomorrow evening, talk more about your future duties as king.”</p>
<p>“I guess you're right. You're dismissed now Touka, enjoy your night.”</p>
<p>“You as well, Your Royal Highness.”</p>
<p>And with that Touka turned on her heel and left, the door making a small noise as it closed. </p>
<p>Kaneki watched the door for a good ten minutes, waiting for someone else to approach the door. When he realized nobody was most likely coming to his room, the young prince scrambled as quickly as he could towards his closet. He opened the closet as quietly as he could and grabbed a small stack of clothes from the darkest corner. He layed out the clothes, contemplating the next phase of his plan.</p>
<p>He was going to explore outside the castle of the kingdom tonight.</p>
<p>By himself, of course.</p>
<p>The clothes were those that looked more middle class, consisting of a plain white shirt that looked like it had seen better days and a pair of black shorts that looked shredded at the bottom. He quickly changed out of the night gown, slipping the shirt over his head and the pants over his frail frame.</p>
<p>He looked in the tall mirror on the closet door and checked how he looked. He looked rough, which was exactly how he wanted. He tousled his hair with his fingers as well, to make the disguise look a bit more believable. He even decided that he would go barefooted, since he didn’t have any shoes that looked worn out or resembled lower class.</p>
<p>He knew that this was going to be a challenge as he was used to the luxurious ways of life, but he was determined to understand how the people outside of the castle were living.</p>
<p>And hopefully make some friends in the process.</p>
<p>After Kaneki made himself presentable for what he was going to do, he set off to pull off the most difficult and last phase of his big plan, which was leaving the castle without being caught.</p>
<p>He checked outside of the window once more, seeing two guards standing near the gates that lead outside of the castle, the gates being thankfully a few yards away from his window. He recognized the guards as Touka herself along with Kosaka Yoriko, the latter being Touka’s love interest. Kaneki vowed to never tell anyone about Touka’s horboring feelings to the other girl, knowing that his friend would probably murder him herself if he uttered a word.<br/>
He personally believed that the two females would be a wondrous couple, since Yoriko seemed to be the only person to make the other come out of her bad moods. But, Touka was very self doubting of herself when it came down to her feelings and wouldn’t confess.</p>
<p>He noticed that the two looked like they were having a conversation, obviously distracted from watching and patrolling like they were supposed to. Kaneki knew that his mother, Queen Kamishiro Rize of the Anteiku Kingdom would call the two women a shame, but to Kaneki this was an absolute victory to carry out his plan. He knew that there was a small gate to enter and leave the castle right around the corner from where the guards were sitting, and he made it his mission now to sneak pass the two oblivious women and set off on his adventure there.</p>
<p>Kaneki’s window was slightly high from the ground, but he knew that he would be fine if he did this correctly. He grabbed a thick rope from underneath his bed, it wasn’t extremely long but just enough to get him low enough to the ground from the window. This was going to be used to go back inside of his room later as well, when he was ready to come back from the nearest town. </p>
<p>He tied the rope to the headboard of his bed, tying a figure eight knot in the process to make sure it would be secure. He tugged on it a bit to make sure it was secure enough to his own standards, then proceeded to put the rest of the rope outside of the window and watched as it hung down. </p>
<p>He made sure Touka and Yoriko were still distracted, and surprisingly they were. Next he slowly moved out on the window, gripping onto the rope as he slowly used the brick walls of the castle to basically walk from the window to the grassy ground. His feet hurt as he did this, but he pushed away the discomfort and safely made it to the grassy ground. He would have to let go, and he was only about two feet above the grass now. He let go, landing on his side and letting out a small mewl of pain from the impact. </p>
<p>He quickly scrambled to his feet however, checking his immediate surroundings. Seemingly he hadn’t been spotted, but he wouldn’t waste any time. He decided to position the rope in the thick bushes that were under the window as well, in an attempt to hide it from easy view but also to be able to access it when it was needed. After doing so, he got into a crouched walking position and walked along the walls of the castle. He made his way to the gate and looked over his shoulder, noticing Yoriko and Touka still hadn’t noticed his movement.</p>
<p>Smiling victoriously, he slowly opened the one person gate and made his escape. </p>
<p>Shutting the door as quietly as he opened it, basically running across the dirt road to civilization. He ran and he ran, not stopping once until he saw the first town ahead of him. He had been running for a good twenty minutes when he promptly saw his destination, and when Kaneki saw it he stopped, catching his breath.</p>
<p>He did it, the mission was a success!</p>
<p>He smiled and finally noticed the extreme pain in his small feet, and he was sure he would have blisters on them by the time he made it back home. But that was okay, because he was going to finally make some friends!</p>
<p>With a small smile on his features, Kaneki walked along the dirt road and looked at all of the markets that were open and selling to buyers. His eyes were wide with curiosity as he saw the many clothing markets, fruit markets, and even a few small courts selling what looked like street food. He noticed everyone seemed..</p>
<p>Unhappy?</p>
<p>The aroma in the air was almost depressing, which confused the young boy to no end. He was always told that the civilians in the town were happy with their living situations, and that everyone had modern houses that were good for living standards. </p>
<p>But where were they?</p>
<p>He also noticed that his clothes didn’t match much of what others were wearing. Their clothes looked even dirtier than his own, and nearly like rags. </p>
<p>Was this a poor village that he had walked into? Or was this town an example of all cities in the kingdom?</p>
<p>Continuing to walk the young prince looked at a rather dark alleyway, but he noticed it was filled with buildings that looked like small hut homes. Stupidly, he decided to take a tour down the alley.</p>
<p>He soon came to find out that it was indeed a very bad idea.</p>
<p>He walked slowly, and took in the horrific scenery. He saw a young woman sweeping the porch of her home with a broom made of straw, children crying was heard from inside of the home. The poor woman looked stressed, and extremely frail for a woman.</p>
<p>As if she hadn’t eaten in days.</p>
<p>He also saw a few sleeping people on the streets covered in small clothes for warmth, people that Kaneki came to realize were most likely homeless and actually lived in the streets.</p>
<p>He could feel his breathing hitching, as he looked at the miserable people who were supposed to be okay under the rule of his royal family</p>
<p>Did the queen know about these areas? Or did she know, and just didn’t care?</p>
<p>Kaneki knew his mother was cruel, but he began to think deeper about it using the society that he was seeing as an example.</p>
<p>But he wasn’t able to continue thinking, as he was pushed against a wall. He fell to the ground, letting a small cry as his body hit the trashcan against the wall he was thrown too. He sat up slowly in a bit of pain, and noticed two figures looming over him.</p>
<p>There were two men, one of them with wild black hair and the other with none at all. They were also dressed in rags, but they were smiling in ways that made Kaneki feel extremely uneasy.</p>
<p>“Well look what we got here Asahi, a newcomer.” Said the man with hair, nudging the bald man he called ‘Asahi’ with his elbow. They began laughing at Kaneki, and the prince knew something bad for sure was going to happen at that very moment. </p>
<p>“Never seen him around here before Sora, he looks like a noble though. I can tell by the ring, that shit looks expensive!” the man Asahi said to the other, ‘Sora’ as he was apparently called. </p>
<p>Kaneki stood up fully, but was only cornered deeper near the trash can. His throat constricted him from screaming, but he could feel the warm wet tears stream down his face. If they found out he was of the royal family and he wasn’t just some noble.. </p>
<p>May god have mercy on his soul.</p>
<p>Kaneki stood eerily still as the man called ‘Sora’ forcefully grabbed his hand, inspecting the sterling silver ring on his small finger. The two men looked at each other then at Kaneki, staring at the prince with what looked like anger and a mix of surprise.</p>
<p>“Don't tell me,” Asahi began. “We got someone from the fucking royal family here just walking through the slums do we?”</p>
<p>“Hey boy, what's your name?” Sora whispered low enough to make it come out as a growl, but it held a tone that forced Kaneki to speak back.</p>
<p>“K-Kaneki- '' the prince stammered out, before being interrupted in the middle of his sentence by Asahi.</p>
<p>“It’s the prince Sora! Do you know what this means?.”</p>
<p>“What should we do with him?” </p>
<p>The two mens conversation was cut off by another voice, one that sounded like it held authority in a way.</p>
<p>“Hey! What are you guys doing? Bullying kids is totally lame y’know!” </p>
<p>Kaneki watched as the man whose voice it belonged to pushed his captors away, standing in front of Kaneki in a protective manner, like Touka would do if he ever was in danger. </p>
<p>Kaneki held his hand to his chest and tried to slow down his heart beat, as the three men argued and fussed. By now Kaneki had no idea what was going on, but the third male that came was truly entrancing.</p>
<p>Kaneki didn’t notice Asahi and Sora leave, but jumped when a hand touched his shoulder. He looked back and embraced the beauty of the rather handsome man that saved his life.</p>
<p>“Hey buddy, you good?” </p>
<p>It was the same voice that saved him he was sure. He was looking into the face of his hero!</p>
<p>The mad had shoulder length blonde hair that complemented his bright chocolate brown eyes. He was wearing a yellow hoodie and tan shorts, a pair of sandals sported his feet as well. He was very handsome, with freckles and a rather sharp jawline that made him even more attractive. Not only was he cute, but he saved Kaneki’s life! </p>
<p>Kaneki stared at the man for what seemed like forever, until he was shook by the tanned hand that belonged to his hero.</p>
<p>“Hello, you deaf or something’? I asked is you good dude, I don’t really have all night.”</p>
<p>Snapping out of his trance, Kaneki stood up and bowed his head in shame.</p>
<p>“I'm sorry! I didn’t mean to bother you!.” he said, his voice was frantic and slightly pitched.</p>
<p>The man tilted his head, before letting out a hearty laugh, one that was like a melody to Kaneki’s ears.</p>
<p>“It’s okay you're not bothering me, let's just kinda say those two jerks. I knew they were probably causing you some trouble,” He said sweetly.</p>
<p>“Are you okay now?” the man asked, genuine concern filling his features. </p>
<p>Kaneki looked up and as his cheeks warmed up without his consent, he let a nervous, crooked smile take over his features.</p>
<p>“Y-Yeah i’m okay now.. Thanks to you sir.”</p>
<p>The man flashed a toothy grin, and Kaneki could feel his heart practically melt.</p>
<p>“No problem! What's your name if you don’t mind me asking?” was the reply the prince had gotten.</p>
<p>Kaneiki’s smile slowly faded, wondering if he told the man his name would he leave? Would he want to hurt him like the other men did? After all, it seemed that the royal family was disliked by the people of the kingdom as of recent.</p>
<p>He sighed as he decided to tell the truth, hoping he wouldn’t regret it. After all it seemed luck wasn’t on his side when it came to making his choices</p>
<p>“Kaneki… Kaneki Ken.” he said quietly, looking at the man whose facial features slowly changed from happiness to clear surprise.</p>
<p>“Like, Prince Kaneki Ken of the Kingdom Anteiku? You mean that Kaneki?”</p>
<p>Kaneki simply nodded, before the man’s eyebrows raised to his hairline. The beautiful blonde leaned close to Kaneki’s face, whispering low enough so that only he could hear.</p>
<p>“If this is true, I don’t know why you're here but it’s not safe for you in these parts. Nobody in this part of town had the best opinion on.. Well your family. Where are you headed? And why did you come to this part of the slums out of all places!?” </p>
<p>Kaneki sucked in a deep breath as he spoke.</p>
<p>“I’m willing to tell you.. I-If you tell me your name and tour me around the area.” </p>
<p>The man looked around, before smiling rather cheekily. He held out his hand to Kaneki, who happily accepted it.</p>
<p>“The name Nagachika Hideyoshi, but I go by Hide. Let's go now, your highness. Let's get you to safety.”</p>
<p>                                                         #  #  #  #</p>
<p>Kaneki walked alongside Hide for a while, the blonde not letting go of his hand. Hide didn’t speak during that time, but the look on his face showed concern and deep thought.</p>
<p>“H-Hide?”</p>
<p>“Hm?”</p>
<p>“Where are we going?”</p>
<p>The blonde sighed before answering, “We're going to a safer part of the town that’s a bit closer to the castle. I’ll show you around there and even buy you something to eat, kay’? Now tell me what the hell you're doing outside of the castle. Shouldn’t you be with a guard or something?”</p>
<p>Kaneki grinned at Hide’s offer to buy him some food, and spoke his reasons with much detail. He told the blonde about him sneaking out of the castle and how he was only doing his own exploring. He also added how he was forbidden to leave the castle without reason good enough to woo the queen, and how he was lonely.</p>
<p>They continued walking, and when Kaneki finished talking he felt Hide give his hand a gentle squeeze. The blonde didn’t reply for another few minutes as they approached the destination Hide had in mind.</p>
<p>“It’s not good for people like you your highness-”</p>
<p>“Kaneki,” the prince snapped. “Just call me Kaneki, I hate being called that.” Kaneki frowned as Hide looked at him with surprise, and his cheeks began to heat up again. Hide chuckled before talking again.</p>
<p>“Okay sorry, don’t kick my ass alright? But seriously, it’s not safe for you to be here on your own. Not a lot of people like your mother's rule, since she gained power after King Yoshimura passed, this village has been put into extreme poverty.” he said quietly before speaking again. “Your mother is hated here, most known for making the lower class pay taxes to her, and being ruthless with her punishments.”</p>
<p>Kaneki frowned upon hearing Hide’s words. People hated the royal family? If this was true, then he was lied to by everyone inside of the castle including Touka, his good friend.</p>
<p>That hurt him the most.</p>
<p>“..When you say ruthless with punishments.. What do you mean by that?” he decided to ask instead.</p>
<p>“Some crimes like petty thievery can make someone lose their heads. How do you not know all of this if your a prince?” Hide said and let go of Kaneki’s hand (the prince tried not to miss it), stopping in front of the prince with a scowl on his face.</p>
<p>“Tell me, how don’t you know any of this as the prince?”</p>
<p>Kaneki sniffled, another flow of tears coming from shock. Hide’s attitude changed almost immediately, cupping Kaneki’s face with his hands and stroking his face in a caring manner.</p>
<p>“Wait please don’t cry again! I didn’t mean to yell at you but-”</p>
<p>“It's not that! If what you're telling me is true, then everything I grew up on believing was a lie, it was a lie that our family was loved and praised by the people. I was told that everyone was okay in the towns, not dirt poor and struggling to live!” </p>
<p>Hide frowned at Kaneki’s words, as he seemed to struggle to comprehend the prince's personal feelings. The blonde attempted to comfort the dark haired boy by continuing to stroke the face filled with streaming tears. He wiped under Kaneki’s puffy grey eyes as well, as he finally spoke.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, Kaneki.” was the only thing he was able to think of to cheer up the crying boy. </p>
<p>“It's not your fault Hide, its mine for not doing anything to make life better for you here,” Kaneki began, as he placed his shaky hands over the ones cupped over his face. His voice quavered to the posint it was hard for Hide to understand, but he continued anyway.</p>
<p>“If only I was older,” he sniffled. “I would be able to make good people like you happier. You could've killed me already, or allowed those jerks to hurt me back there. I’m sorry I'm so useless.”</p>
<p>Hide let out a deep sigh before ruffling the princes coal black hair with one of his hands, using the other one to force Kaneki to look at him directly.</p>
<p>“Tell me Kaneki, how old are you?” he asked quietly, that heartwarming smile spreading across his tan skin once again. Kaneki sniffled, but answered Hide’s question that was out of the blue.</p>
<p>“17, my birthday is in a few more months though.”</p>
<p>“Damn! You're so cute and little to be 17.” was the snarky reply.</p>
<p>Kaneki balked at the comment about his age. A very prominent flush spread across his cheeks. Cute? Little? How could Hide say such a thing, he believed he was very manly thank you very much!</p>
<p>“C-Cute?” he whimpered. “Im very handsome, i'm just a little short that's all! How old are you anyway?”</p>
<p>“Im 17 too, I just thought you were younger. You're really small, that's okay though. Like you said, you're very handsome just a little short is all. Now,” Hide said suddenly. “I know how you feel. Just know that.. I personally don't blame you for anything that happens involving your family, okay? I know that when you become king one day you’ll make things better. You're not alone, so please don't be sad anymore.” </p>
<p>Kaneki stared into Hide’s eyes for a few seconds, his emotions expressing things without his permission. </p>
<p>“Thank you, Hide. It means a lot to me to hear that, you just don’t know how much.”</p>
<p>“Don’t mention it buddy, but i'm kinda hungry now. There's a nice sandwich court nearby, you ready to eat and talk a bit more?”</p>
<p>Kaneki smiled, as he noticed he was no longer feeling sad.</p>
<p>“Lead the way, Hide.”</p>
<p>Kaneki found himself moving as Hide grabbed his hand and led him towards their destination. The young prince kept quiet, trying to force himself to understand Hide’s kindness. He had never felt this way about someone, the only person showing him any slight friendship being Touka. But… this was different.</p>
<p>Kaneki had known since he was 15 that he liked boys more than girls, but he tried not to let his heart show on his sleeve. He would never tell his mother, fear of her judgement. He hadn’t associated with many boys his age, the only being Tsukiyama Shuu, but Kaneki couldn’t find Tsukiyama attractive in any way. But Hide…</p>
<p>He knew that he was starting to develop strong feelings for the blond, despite knowing each other in the short span of a few hours. </p>
<p>But Kaneki knew that he might not see each other after this.</p>
<p>And that hurt him the most.</p>
<p>                                                                   #  #  #  # </p>
<p>Kaneki sat sound on the stone ledge as Hide stood at the sandwich shop getting their orders. Kaneki tried to let Hide buy his own food, but the blonde insisted on paying for everything. Hide promised to get a sandwich that Kaneki would enjoy, and to be honest Kaneki believed him.</p>
<p>On the rest of the way there they talked about each other, what they liked, what they disliked, their hobbies, and so much more. Kaneki also learned that unlike himself, Hide lived alone on the streets. When asked why Hide simply described how a famine that struck the poor village beforehand, and how his parents had passed away from the lack of food and nutrition, instead giving all of their scraps to Hide so that he could continue living on. </p>
<p>Apparently that was a couple of years ago, Hide explaining that since the age of 10 he had been living on his own. I saddened Kaneki who tried to give condolences, but Hide continued to smile claiming that he was okay.</p>
<p>The prince wished that he could drag his crush to his own home in the castle, and force the blonde to never leave his sight.</p>
<p>Kaneki also learned that to make easy change, Hide played small performances on the flute in the middle of the town. With every piece of silver he earned, Hide bought food and made attempts to make better clothing for himself. Hide also fed the stray cats in the area, claiming that the cats were the only people that he trusted in the streets with his life.</p>
<p>Kaneki sighed and watched Hide run back towards him, two sandwiches and a drink in his hand.</p>
<p>“Sorry for the wait ‘Neki buddy!”</p>
<p>“Neki?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” the blonde inquired matter of factly as he sat down next to Kaneki on the stone ledge, pushing a wrapped up sandwich near the prince as well. “Since we’re friends now I decided to give you a cool nickname. Is that alright?”</p>
<p>Kaneki felt himself flush once more, and simply smiled lightly. “Yeah,” he said. “That's alright with me.”</p>
<p>“Good, now eat up before your sandwich gets cold! They’re disgusting when cold, trust me. It's always better when it's hot and fresh.” the blonde said happily, taking a bite out of his own sandwich and munching on it.</p>
<p>Kaneki let out a small hum, before doing the same with his own food. His eyes widened at the savory flavor that engulfed his mouth. He realized this was a pastrami sandwich, most likely with a cheddar roll of bread as well. It had melted cheese, mustard, pickles, and a faint taste of salt and pepper.</p>
<p>Hide was right. It was delicious!</p>
<p>“Wow Hide, this is actually really good.” Kaneki said with his mouth full. Hide chuckled at the prince, nodding his head in agreement.</p>
<p>“Of course it's good,” he replied. “I wouldn't allow you to eat it if it was gross. Also the drink is yours. It's just apple cider, though.”</p>
<p>Kaneki looked at Hide some more, realizing the blonde already finished his food. He was sitting there with his hands in that damned yellow jacket, his hair moving slightly in the wind. </p>
<p>Kaneki thanked  him quietly and finished his own food shortly after. </p>
<p>After they threw away their trash and Kaneki finished his drink, Hide spoke up with a sad looking glint in his eyes.</p>
<p>“It's really late, and the sun will be up soon.” he said softly. “I think it's time you you to go back home, your highness.”</p>
<p>They made eye contact, and Kaneki felt his emotions attempting to get the best of him again. Truthfully, he didn’t want to leave Hide behind there in the village. He enjoyed the small tour that Hide gave him of the small town, and he enjoyed the kindness Hide had given him seemingly without any reason.</p>
<p>“Hide,” Kaneki began, his voice quavering again slightly. “Why were you so kind to me? Is it because knowing a royal person good for you in the future, or is it because you genuinely like me.. And enjoyed my company?”</p>
<p>Hide blinked once, then twice.</p>
<p>He turned physically to move a bit closer to Kaneki, his eyes hardening on the young prince.</p>
<p>“I was kind to you because I wanted to. I would have been nice even if you weren’t a royal. If I wanted anything concerning your royal status, I would have attacked you alongside Asahi and Sora back there. I actually like you Kaneki, and it makes me sad that I'll probably never see you again too.” was the shakey response.</p>
<p>Kaneki frowned and engulfed Hide in a hug, the other tensing from the sudden contact.</p>
<p>“I promise we will see eachother again.”</p>
<p>“Don't make promises you can't keep, ‘Neki. You probably won't even remember me by tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“I won't break my promise.”</p>
<p>“Then here,” Hide said softly, removing himself from the embrace. He slowly slipped the jacket over his head, revealing a white long sleeve that looked rather old. The blonde held out the jacket to the prince. “Keep this. I made it a bit ago, but you can have it. Use it to remember me by, and if you're ever cold you can just wear it. It's really warm, y’know?”</p>
<p>Kaneki felt like crying all over again, but happily accepted the yellow jacket. He slipped it over his head, being engulfed in warmth and the scent of his friend. He would keep his promise, and remember Hide forever.</p>
<p>The blonde stood up, grabbing Kaneki by the hand and taking him to what seemed like the edge of the dirt road. Kaneki could clearly see the castle in the distance, and Hide estimated it would take him only 10 minutes to get back there.</p>
<p>They looked at each other, smiling in each others presence for what seemed like the final goodbye.</p>
<p>“Thank you Hide, for everything. For saving my butt, treating me normally, and being so kind to me.”</p>
<p>“It was a pleasure, your highness. Until next time right?”</p>
<p>“Mhm.”</p>
<p>Before making his way back though, Kaneki quickly hugged his new friend again and waved a goodbye that would certainly not be his last.</p>
<p>The prince ran back home, his thoughts racing on what he would do next. Would he explain that he knew the truth to his mother? Would he stay silent? He wasn’t sure, but he knew that he would be back to this town sooner or later, and that things would definitely be shaken in the royal home now that he had the motivation to make a change.</p>
<p>He would also come to learn that his and Hide’s fates were destined, like the stories he had read as a child.</p>
<p>But Kaneki knew for sure that Hide would be waiting for him, and he would keep his promise by  becoming king and making things right for the both of them.</p>
<p>Time was on their hands, and the clock was ticking.</p>
<p>The new era in the Kingdom was right around the corner, and both Kaneki and Hide were in the middle of it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AHHHH CLIFFHANGERS ARE TRASH! I hope that everyone enjoyed this, but I'll clear some things up if its confusing. So first of all no, this story in PARTICULAR will not have another chapter. BUT I am willing to continue this AU finishing off Kaneki's and Hide's destiny together??? It's really up if anyone likes this enough to want to know what the hell happened after Kaneki's trip outside the castle. You gotta love the royal AUS, their supreme. Also I apologize if anyone was hoping for any updates on any of my stories, my mental health took a major downgrade and I fell behind in school HORRIBLY. I also visited a friend in Russia as a vacation, and the wifi was really shit so I couldn't really edit the docs on my phone there :( Anyways, I hope everyone understands and enjoyed this story. Please leave comments below on your thoughts! I'm happy to read comments 24/7 because it motivates me to continue things I know I have the potential to. Keep KaneHide strong guys, until next time!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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